A 38-YEAR-OLD who glassed a man in a pub has been spared jail because of “exceptional mitigation”.
Michael Roberts, from Liverpool, assaulted his victim in the Pembroke Pub in Grouville last September following a scuffle.
The victim was treated in the Emergency Department for injuries including a cut to his lip and bruising to his eye.
Crown Advocate Lauren Hallam, prosecuting, pointed to previous sentences in which Jersey’s courts had taken a harsh stance on drink-fuelled violence, and glassing in particular.
She said: “The level of injury was a matter of luck, not judgment, and could have been much more serious.”
Roberts, who admitted grave and criminal assault, does not normally live in Jersey, but the court heard he wanted to give back to the Island by undertaking community service.
Advocate Nicholas Mière, defending, said: “He feels a debt to the Island.
“He has come over here; he hasn’t been working here; he has been in custody for a very long time. That’s a drain on public resources.
“He has caused very significant injury and hurt, physical and psychological, to the victim here.”
Roberts had already spent almost six months in prison, with his advocate saying his client had used his time inside productively – including by seeking support from the Alcohol and Drugs unit as well as psychological support.
The defendant had references from prison and probation officers, which the Bailiff described as “comprehensive and extremely good”.
A number of his relatives and people who had worked with him also spoke of his remorse over the incident.
The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, told Roberts that glassing was “a serious matter”.
But he added: “We have taken an exceptional view on your case because of the exceptional mitigation.
“You certainly owe a debt of gratitude to those who have spoken for you.”
Roberts was handed 210 hours of community service and is barred from entering most licensed premises in the Island.
The Jurats sitting were Lieutenant-Bailiff Robert Christensen and Michael Entwistle.
